Adrian charged with corruption
Adrian charged with corruption
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The trial of Adrian Herling Waworuntu, a key suspect in the Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) scandal, began on Monday, with the prosecution indicting him with corruption and money laundering.
Adrian, who tried to escape justice by sneaking out of the country early this year, is being charged under Law No. 31/1999 on corruption and Law No. 25/2004 on money laundering.
Corruption carries a maximum life sentence, while money laundering has a maximum 15 years' imprisonment.
In an 18-page indictment, state prosecutors said Adrian embezzled Rp 1.7 trillion (US$180 million) from BNI by using fictitious letters of credit and laundered the money via financial institutions.
Defense lawyer Yan Djuanda Saputra said Adrian could not be indicted for criminal charges because he was simply acting as a guarantor for Maria Pauline Lumowa, a commissioner of the Gramarindo Group and the prime suspect in the case.
"As guarantor, Adrian cannot be charged for criminal offenses, only civil offenses," Yan was quoted as saying by tempointeraktif.com after the hearing at the South Jakarta District Court.
He added that his client would definitely not accept the indictment, but refused to elaborate.
Presiding judge Roki Panjaitan adjourned the trial until Nov. 29, when the defense is expected to deliver its argument.
Adrian is the ninth of 17 suspects in an embezzlement case that made headlines last year, eight of whom have been convicted for their involvement in disbursing Rp 1.7 trillion from a BNI branch to Petindo and the Gramarindo Group.
The eight convicts and their sentences are: BNI Kebayoran Baru branch director Koesadiyuwono, sentenced to 15 years; BNI Kebayoran Baru customer service director Edi Santoso, life; John Hamenda, sentenced to 20 years in prison; Ollah Abdullah Agam, Aprilla Widata and Adrian Pandelaki, 15 years each; Richard Kountul, 10 years; and Titik Pristiwati, eight years.
Prime suspect Lumowa, an Indonesian-born Dutch citizen, left the country before the investigation began and remains at large, reportedly living in Singapore.
The city-state has no extradition treaty with Indonesia.
Adrian fled the country in March after allegedly paying thousands of U.S. dollars to police investigators, but was arrested upon his return in late October.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta High Court upheld on Monday the verdicts of former BNI officials Koesadiyuwono and Edi Santoso in an appellate ruling.
In addition, the court ordered them to repay the state $238,000 as instructed by the South Jakarta District Court.
As for Lumowa, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has issued a call to try her in absentia so the government could recover the bulk of the money, which is believed to be stashed in a number of overseas accounts.
The KPK said in holding such a trial, the government could move to confiscate all of Lumowa's assets, including any flow of funds.